Call 311 or Visit NYC.gov for More Information on these Events and Activities and Many Others

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today outlined dozens of examples of free and low-cost, family-friendly cultural activities occurring throughout the five boroughs in his weekly radio address on 1010 WINS News Radio. With the ongoing national economic downturn, New Yorkers are taking advantage of the many free holiday events, exhibits, performances and outdoor activities offered by the City’s cultural institutions, parks and Business Improvement Districts. In 2009, the Department of Cultural Affairs invested more than $570 million in programming, operations and infrastructure at more than 900 of New York City’s cultural institutions. Mayor Bloomberg also encouraged New Yorkers looking to take advantage of NYC Service opportunities and find an organization that needs volunteers.

“There is no place like New York City during the holidays, and just because the economy is in a downturn doesn’t mean New Yorkers have to stop taking advantage of all the things that make New York the most vibrant city in the world,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “When the economy went south, I told the City’s commissioners to find ways to do more with less and to help New Yorkers do more with less. We’ve invested more than half a billion dollars in the City cultural institutions this year alone, and there’s no better time to take advantage of all the free and low-cost activities they have to offer. At the same time, NYC Service is making New York City the easiest city in the country in which to serve and helping drive our volunteer resources to the areas where we need them most. The holidays are a great time to use your blank for good. Get involved and stay involved.”

“New York City’s cultural organizations are committed to welcoming all New Yorkers, in every neighborhood, especially during these tough economic times,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Levin D. Levin. “There are so many ways to participate - visit a museum, see a show, volunteer, or give a membership or a subscription as a gift. Thanks to a strong public-private partnership with the cultural sector, people don’t have to sacrifice what makes living, working and playing in New York City so great.”

“From day hikes in the Bronx to stargazing in Central Park, we’ve got you covered from morning until night with dozens of free or low-cost activities happening right in your own backyard,” said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. “This winter, New Yorkers can to stay active by enjoying a skate at one of our seven ice rinks or jump-starting their new year’s resolution to get fit by joining one of our 29 recreation centers throughout the city.”

“There’s no better time to explore New York City than during the holiday season,” said NYC & Company CEO George Fertitta. “The City offers a wide range of activities for all ages and interests across the five boroughs. We remind all New Yorkers that you don’t have to spend big this holiday season in order to enjoy yourself with so many free and low-cost holiday events going on.”

“There are a wide variety of holiday events in our neighborhoods,” said Small Business Services Commissioner Robert W. Walsh. “Local organizations across the city are organizing family-oriented activities such as tree lighting ceremonies, outdoor musical performances and historical holiday tours.

New York City offers hundreds of events, exhibits and volunteer opportunities that are free or low-cost to the public. Below is a sampling. Call 311 or visit NYC.gov for more information on these and other events.

HOLIDAY ACTIVITIESCrystal Winter at the New York Hall of Science
On the weekends, explore the symmetry of snow crystals at New York Hall of Science’s winter wonderland events, including a puppet show for preschoolers, craft activities, and the Giant Winter Globe. 47-01 111th St, Queens. Now through January 3. FREE on Fridays from 2 PM - 5 PM and Sundays from10 AM - 11 AM.

8th Annual Grand Central Holiday Train Show
Celebrate the holiday season with the New York Transit Museum’s annual Holiday Train Show. On a two level 34 foot long layout, Lionel trains travel through a miniature Manhattan to the North Pole. A new Long Island Railroad train joins Metro-North, New York Central and Pennsylvania Railroad cars on the elevated track, while New York City Transit’s R-27 subway cars run below. New York Transit Museum Gallery Annex in Grand Central Terminal, Manhattan. Now through January 18, 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM. FREE.

Harlem for the Holidays Bazaar at the Hip Hop Culture Center
Enjoy a holiday bazaar, with retail and cultural booths, free trolleys around the neighborhood and five different performances, including dance and jazz, beginning with the cast of the Broadway musical Memphis appearing at 12:30pm. 2309 Frederick Douglass Blvd., 2nd fl., Manhattan. Sunday, December 6. FREE.

Harlem Opera Theater: Holiday Community Sing at the Studio Museum in Harlem Join an interactive performance featuring Harlem Opera Theater with the St. Mary’s Chamber Players, presenting the music of master composer, Johann Sebastian Bach, arias with obligato instruments, in celebration of the holiday season. The program will end with audience and artists joining in traditional holiday songs. 144 West 125th Street. Sunday, December 6, 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM. FREE.

Madison Square Holiday
Celebrate the season in Madison Square Park, the park that hosted America’s first community holiday tree. Enjoy live musical performances and a tree lighting countdown. Between 23rd and 26th Streets and Fifth and Madison Avenues. Tuesday, December 8, 4:30 PM - 6:00 PM. FREE.

A Christmas Carol at the New York Public LibraryA play presented by the Traveling Lantern Theatre Company based on Charles Dickens' classic tale of the old miser, Ebenezer Scrooge. Recommended for ages 4 and older. The New York Public Library Stephen A. Schwarzman Building, 42nd Street and Fifth Avenue, Manhattan. Tuesday, December 8 at 3:30 PM and Saturday, December 19 at 3:00 PM. FREE.

Caribbean Holiday
Celebration Celebrate winter holidays with refreshments, crafts and music. The first 500 children to arrive will receive a wrapped holiday gift. All attendees will have a chance to meet Santa Claus. This is held in partnership with the West Indian American Carnival Association. Brooklyn Public Library Central Library, Dweck Center, 10 Grand Army Plaza, Brooklyn. Saturday, December 12, 2:00 PM. FREE.

Voices of New York Christmas Concert
Hear a concert of seasonal favorites and musical jewels that may be new to you. Thursday, December 17, 6:30 PM. Queens Library at Forest Hills, 108-19 71st Avenue, Queens. FREE

Caroling at the Morgan Library Museum
Enjoy traditional and popular holiday music performed throughout the Morgan Library Museum by singers from Mannes College, The New School for Music. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, Manhattan. December 18, 6:30 PM - 8:30PM. FREE.

Annual Christmas Bird Count in Prospect Park
Join a tradition over 100 years in the making. Teams of birdwatchers young and old will spend the morning canvassing Prospect Park, recording the number and species of birds they observe during this popular annual tradition of ornithological “I Spy.” The Christmas Bird Count is a nationwide bird census that helps conservation researchers track the long-term health of bird populations. Prospect Park Audubon Center - inside the Lincoln Road/Ocean Avenue entrance to the park. Saturday, December 19, 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM. FREE.

Brass Menagerie Holiday Brass at the New York Public Library Bronx Library Center
Wearing nutcracker and Santa costumes, the Brass Menagerie Holiday Brass bring holiday cheer with festive holiday tunes. The New York Public Library Bronx Library Center, 310 East Kingsbridge Road, Bronx. Saturday, December 26 at 2:30 PM. FREE.

Three Kings Day Musical Performance with Harpbeat
Experience the rich traditions of the Caribbean as Harpbeat takes you on a musical tour in celebration of Three Kings Day (Epiphany), typically celebrated on January 6. The program will include such popular “Aguinaldos” as Lost Tres Santos Reyes, Alegre Vengo and Saludos. The New York Public Library Bronx Library Center, 310 East Kingsbridge Road, Bronx. Saturday, January 2, 2010 at 2:30 PM. FREE.

MUSEUM EXHIBITSTear it Up at the Museum of Arts and Design
Explore Slash: Paper Under the Knife, an exhibition that examines the renaissance of traditional handcraft materials and techniques in contemporary art and design. The exhibition surveys unusual paper treatments, including works that are burned, torn, cut by lasers, and shredded. Or visit Read My Pins, an exhibition on Madeleine Albright’s iconic pin collection, or other extraordinary works that showcase artists’ innovation in craft, art, and design. 2 Columbus Circle, Manhattan. Tuesday – Sunday from 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Thursday from 11:00 AM to 9:00 PM. Pay what you wish on Thursdays.

Explore the Role of Horses in Native American Cultures at the National Museum of the American IndianA Song for the Horse Nation, a new exhibition, features exciting works that explore the relationship between Native American cultures and horses. One Bowling Green, Manhattan. Open every day, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, and Thursdays until 8:00 PM. FREE.

Catch a Birdseye View of New York on Your Own Two Feet at the Queens Museum of Art
Find your neighborhood and explore others within the Panorama of the City of New York, a 9,335-square-foot architectural model of the City that includes every single building constructed before 1992 in all five boroughs – a total of 895,000 individual, miniature structures. Flushing Meadows Corona Park, Queens. The Museum offers hour-long tours of the Panorama of the City of New York every Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 p.m. The Museum is open Wednesday - Friday from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Saturday and Sunday from 12:00 NOON to 5:00 PM. Pay what you wish.

See Revelatory Tension: New Assertions on Divine Form at BRIC Rotunda Gallery
Works by six Brooklyn artists exploring the spatial, lingual, formal and material qualities that signify a contemplation of the divine. Derrick Adams, Lindsay Benedict, Russell Frederick, Jason Irwin, Shane Aslan Selzer, and Jeff Sims. Show continues through December 18. 33 Clinton Street, Brooklyn. Open Tuesday through Saturday, Noon - 6:00 PM. FREE.

PERFORMING ARTSConcert Continuum Ensemble at the Americas Society
The award-winning ensemble presents arresting new music from Canada. Focusing on the younger generations, the program offers the unique voices of native-born and immigrant composers. Continuums signature Retrospective Series has been a key part of New York’s musical life for over forty years and has been praised for introducing New Yorkers to unknown composers from around the world. 680 Park Avenue, Manhattan. December 8, 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. FREE.

Haydn Celebration at St. Bartholomew’s Church
Soprano Jessica Gould and harpsichordist Audrey Axinn perform regularly across the United States and Europe. The duo will collaborate in a celebration of the works of Joseph Haydn, including the Sonata in F Major and Arianna a Naxos. December 9, 2009, 1:15 pm - 1:50 pm, Park Avenue at 51st Street, Manhattan. FREE.

Family Film Night: Muppet’s From Space (1999)
Family members of all ages will enjoy the humorous tale of an alien encounter as Tim Henson’ s Muppet characters return to the screen in Muppet’s From Space. New York Public Library Huguenot Park Branch, 830 Huguenot Avenue, Staten Island. Thursday, December 10 at 5:00 PM. FREE.

viBe Theater Experience at HERE Arts Center
A new show with dances, songs, poetry & more, including a special preview of new music performed live by viBeSongMakers. 145 6th Avenue between Spring and Broome Streets (enter on Dominick St), Manhattan. Thursday, December 10 though Saturday, December 12 at 7:00 PM, with a 2:00 matinee on Saturday, December 12. FREE.

Bring on the Brass! with Queens Symphony Orchestra
Queens Symphony Orchestra and the Queens Library present Symphony 101, a family-friendly performance and workshop series held at public libraries throughout Queens that teaches children and adults about instrument families in the traditional symphonic orchestra. Bring on the Brass! focuses on the brass family and will feature musical demonstrations and dialogue. Saturday, December 12, 12:00 PM at Central Library, 89-11 Merrick Boulevard, Jamaica, Queens. And again at 3:30 PM at the Jackson Heights Library, 35-51 81 Street, Jackson Heights, Queens. FREE.

Symphony 101: Bring on the Brass
The Queens Symphony Orchestra uses music and conversation to demonstrate what makes a traditional symphonic orchestra. This concert focuses on the brass section. Saturday December 12, Noon at Queens Library-Central, 8911 Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica and at 3:00 PM at Queens Library at Jackson Heights, 35-51 81 Street, Queens. FREE.

ZEYBRAH’s 10th annual Moment in Time Festival
The festival will honor Miriam Makeba, a humanitarian and peace activist acknowledged as one of the pioneering forces in the movement that ended the apartheid system in South Africa. ZEYBRAH is collaborating with South African cast members of the Broadway show The Lion King, including Bongi Duma, who will spearhead a special band, that will play many of Miriam’s famous and cherished songs. The festival also includes poems, drawings, a film showing, art exhibition, and a reception. The New York Public Library Schomburg Center for Research in Black History and Culture, 515 Malcolm X Boulevard between 135th and 136th Streets, Harlem. Monday, December 28th at 7:00 PM. FREE.

Improv Jam at BAX | Brooklyn Arts Exchange
This Improv Jam is open to dancers, musicians and anybody else who likes to move or watch people move. Led by dancer and choreographer Kristen Johansen, the event is designed for the freedom to explore and enjoy movement with your Brooklyn community. 421 5th Ave, Brooklyn. December 30, 7:00 PM - 10:00 PM. FREE.

Sunday Concerts at the Queens Public Library: Sojourner Strings
Kick off 2010 with this women’s string ensemble in concert, playing musical stylings from jazz to hip hop. Sunday Concerts at Central offers world music on the first Sunday of every month. Sunday, January 3, 2010, 3:00 PM, Queens Library-Central, 8911 Merrick Boulevard in Jamaica. FREE.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIESSolstice Stargazing at Belvedere Castle in Central Park
Join the Central Park Conservancy, Urban Park Rangers, and Amateur Astronomers Association at Belvedere Castle for a special stargazing program in celebration of the Winter Solstice. View the waning moon, winter constellations, and the city skyline. Mid park at 79th Street. Sunday, December 20, 6:00 PM - 8:00 PM. FREE.

Swing with the Lemurs at the Bronx Zoo
Bundle up the kids and head to the Bronx Zoo, where the penguins roam and the lemurs swing all day long. 2300 Southern Boulevard, Bronx. Pay what you wish Wednesdays from 10:00 AM to 4:30 PM.

Glide Your Way through Winter at One of the City’s Skating Rinks
The Parks Department oversees seven ice skating rinks, in Brooklyn, Manhattan, Queens and Staten Island. In most rinks you can skate for under $10. Call rinks before your visit to confirm hours, as outdoor skating rink schedules can change due to weather conditions.

Coney Island and Prospect Park in Brooklyn

Flushing Meadow Corona Park in Queens

Bryant Park and two in Central Park in Manhattan

Clove Lakes Park in Staten Island

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIESBelow is a sampling of holiday volunteer opportunities. For information on the opportunities below or to locate additional opportunities in your neighborhood, visit nyc.gov/service.

Amigos del Museo del Barrio
The museum will open its doors to the community with its “Super Sabado” event on December 19. Volunteers are needed to assist story tellers and artists and help with visitor management.

Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation
The community development organization needs volunteers to help with its annual Robert F. Kennedy Memorial Holiday Party on December 12. Volunteers are needed to lead and assist various activities with children, including reading/storytelling and roller-skating, as well as with and general event management, such as registration.

Children for Children
Children for Children offers many opportunities to volunteer and help brighten up the holiday season for someone who needs support. Projects include making fleece scarves – or helping knit a scarf – to be distributed at a food bank; making a Christmas or Chanukah card to donate with a hot chocolate packet inside; and helping animals in shelters. Opportunities are available for children ages 5 – 18 (accompanied by an adult if under 13) on December 12 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. at the Parkside Community Center in the Bronx.

Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty
Design greeting cards for birthdays, holidays, and friendly greetings to be sent to homebound seniors. There are currently 83,000 Jewish seniors in the New York region that live alone, 25,000 of them have no adult children living in the area.

BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT EVENTS

Many BIDs have events in addition to those listed below; call 311 for further details.

Holiday Music in the Queens Myrtle Ave BID
The Myrtle Avenue BID, Myrtle and 71st avenues, will kick off the season with a holiday event featuring pictures with Santa, Rudolph and the elves, plus free candy canes. Live music by NYC Brass Entourage. December 6 from Noon to 2:00 PM. FREE.

Voices of Gotham Barbershop Chorus
This NYC-based a cappella troupe will make several appearances at the Manhattan Arts World Financial Center, the Winter Garden in the Downtown Alliance BID, performing holiday favorites. 220 Vesey Street. December 7, 15, 16, 21 & 23 from 1:00 TO 2:00 PM; December 11, 12 and 13 from NOON to 2:00 PM. FREE.

NY Stock Exchange Christmas Tree Lighting
The New York Stock Exchange, Broad Street at Wall Street, will host a tree lighting ceremony and have a line up of musical entertainment in front of the New York Stock Exchange. December 10 from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM. FREE.

Celebrating the Holidays on Flatbush Avenue
The Brooklyn North Flatbush Ave BID, Flatbush Avenue, from Bergen Street to Plaza Street, will sponsor holiday activities with Santa, elves and a string quintet performance, plus hold a blood drive at Kings Pharmacy. December 12 from 2:00 PM to 7:30 PM. FREE.

Holiday Event in the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID
The Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, which was established in 1964 by Senator Robert F. Kennedy, is hosting an RFK Memorial Holiday Party. The daylong event’s theme is “child literacy” and each child attending will receive a bag of books. The celebration is being held at 1368 Fulton Street, Brooklyn, and children should be registered in advance. December 12 from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. FREE.

Flushing Historic Holiday House Tour
The Queens Flushing BID will hold a holiday tour, starting at 143-35 37th Avenue, of Flushing historic houses. There will be entertainment and refreshments. December 13 from 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM. FREE.

Pictures with Santa in the Queens Myrtle Ave BID
The Queens Avenue BID, Myrtle and St. Nicholas Avenues, will host a holiday event with Santa, Rudolph and the elves. Live Music by NYC Brass Entourage. December 13 from Noon to 2:00 PM. FREE.

Holiday Silent Auction
The Brooklyn North Flatbush Avenue BID, Flatbush Avenue Corner of Park Place and 7th Avenue, will hold a silent auction with bidding on gift certificates, gift baskets, dinners to restaurants, merchant items, and more. Proceeds benefit the children’s programming at the community garden. December 15 from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. FREE.

Community Caroling and Tree Lighting in the Montague Street BID
The Brooklyn Montague Street BID, at the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, will host a community caroling event, featuring the Grace and Spiritus Chorale, and a tree lighting ceremony sponsored by the Brooklyn Heights Garden Club. December 16 at 5:30 PM. FREE

ASE Dance Theatre Collective
The Arts World Financial Center, Winter Garden, will celebrate Kwanzaa with a performance by The ASE Dance Theatre Collective, a Brooklyn-based, neo-folkloric performance ensemble that presents a show of dance, music and recitation exploring the multiculturalism of the African Diaspora. 220 Vesey Street. December 28 at 12:30 PM. FREE

VENUES WITH FREE OR SUGGESTED ADMISSION
Pay what you wish for some of the most exciting exhibitions in the world: